This invention relates to a work desk which is attached to and located by the armrest of a chair or seat.
The availability of compact electronic devices, particularly laptop and smaller computers and cellular telephones increases the convenience for businessmen to use these devices when calling on clients and provides an impetus for converting a motor vehicle into an office on wheels. Various attempts have been made to provide accommodations for these electronic devices, as well as more mundane accoutrements of an office without destroying utterly the utility of the offside seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,188 to Russell discloses a tray which covers the seat cushion and portion of the footwell. The tray is at the level of the seat cushion and offset away from the driver""s seat. U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,145 to Lin discloses a portable computer work platform which covers the steering wheel of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,305 to Jacovelli discloses a tray which attaches to the bottom of a steering wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,620 to Owen discloses a portable desk which mounts on a base plate secured to the floor of the offside footwell. U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,676 to Griffith et al. discloses a desk carried upon the offside seat of a motor vehicle which has an adjustable height and is secured by the conventional seat belt. The desk may be raised and leveled using adjustable supports and includes a cup holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,793 to Crowell discloses a desk mounted on a rotatable arm which is affixed to a base mounted into the floor of the offside footwell. U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,386 to Richardson discloses a dash-mounted desk which rest in part on the top surface of the dashboard.
Designs for desks for a vehicle include Des. 356,902, Des. 329,944, Des. 366,164 and Des. 365,219.
Prior art discloses desks which share one or more of the following insufficiencies:
they require permanent mounts in the floorboard of a vehicle;
they require a driver to turn away from the road; or
they cannot be moved quickly from vehicle to vehicle such as when picking up or returning a rented automobile.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a stable desk for a motor vehicle which is convenient to use, especially when one is delayed by heavy traffic or road blockages. It is further object to this invention to provide a desk for a motor vehicle which may be quickly transferred from vehicle to vehicle. It is a still further object of this invention to provide a desk which may be used on any armchair having an arm with substantially flat sides.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a substantially flat work surface affixed to and supported by an armrest between the seats of a motor vehicle, being held in place by braces grasping an armrest on opposite sides and secured by a strap cincturing the desk to an armrest.